Sakura's Own Strength
by fantasmefantastic
Summary: OneShot. SasuSaku. Team Kakashi's fighting, and Sakura's vanished again. And Sasuke's about to discover that, maybe, just maybe, Sakura can handle herself for once.


**I'm in a SasuSaku mood. **

**So, behold!**

**My first actual SasuSaku fic.**

**I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

Naruto was fighting the huge enemy-nin, whose intelligence level was obviously _very_ low. But, Sasuke couldn't deny it, the man was _freaking huge_. Not to mention seemingly talented at taijutsu.

Kakashi was all-out fighting against the enemy ninja's leader, his headband pulled back to reveal his Sharingan. The leader was about the same size as Kakashi, and enjoyed taunting the gray-haired Jounin.

And Sasuke was battling against the kunoichi of the enemy's team. She was taller than him by about three or four inches. Her ninjutsu skills were formidable, and her element was Water, so his Fire wasn't working very well. Not to mention her taijutsu, which rivaled him unbelievably well.

And Sakura...

Where _was_ Sakura?

_That girl has no strength at all._

Sasuke looked around, quenching the panic that instantly rose in his gut. A moment to late, he realized his mistake, and his enemy barreled into him — feet first.

With a _whoosh_ Sasuke's breath flew from his lungs, and he skidded backwards. The enemy kunoichi was kicking him repeatedly, then she suddenly leaped back, and hand sings were formed.

_Crap._

Suddenly, several dozen bolts of water shot from the girl's mouth, all headed straight for Sasuke. He dodged out of the way of the fatal ones, but two caught the side of his hip and arm.

Sasuke clenched his teeth at the twinge of pain, and the girl slammed into him again. Her arms locked around his body, her nails digging into his back. She murmured a jutsu into his ear, then—

"_Chidori: Nagashi!"_

Electricity burst from Sasuke's body, immediately electrocuting his enemy. She threw back her head and screamed, a long, loud, and terrible sound.

After a few seconds, Sasuke dropped her, then looked to see Naruto's enemy flat on his back, unmoving. Kakashi's enemy was crumpled against the ground. The three men looked at each other, silently congratulating the others on their triumph.

"Where's Sakura?" Kakashi asked, suddenly.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged terrified looks, then broke apart to find their female teammate.

After a few moments, Kakashi called them, for he had found her.

* * *

Sasuke crouched beside his sensei, peering through the leaves. In the clearing — which was a considerable distance from where he, Naruto, and Kakashi had fought — Sakura was battling the last member of the team.

He was tall, about Sasuke's height, and _somewhat_ attractive. He had shaggy, dark brown hair, the fell over his headband. He seemed a formidable opponent, with such vicious speed and taijutsu skills.

Sakura's fists were blurs when they walloped the enemy. Her pink hair fluttered around her face in a cloud, streaked with blood and dirt. Her arms were scraped, and her left knee was a bloody mess.

Suddenly, the enemy struck out and hit Sakura's chakra point in her neck.

Naruto's hands gripped the branch before them, and his teeth ground together. Kakashi's lone black eyes looked worried, and Sasuke himself had his teeth gritted together.

_She should have seen that coming,_ Sasuke thought to himself, annoyed with the girl's lack of skill.

Sakura dropped to her right knee, gasping, and then the enemy kicked her across the face. Her body flew away from his and skidded across the ground.

"What are you doing?" the enemy sneered.

"She isn't strong enough to defeat him," Sasuke told Naruto, emotionlessly. Naruto ignored him, his blue eyes focused on the fight.

"You really think you can _beat_ me?" the enemy asked, stalking towards Sakura, who was struggling to her feet. "Are you trying to prove that you aren't a stupid, weak crybaby? That you aren't some _annoying_ girl?"

"We have to step in or she'll be killed," Sasuke said, with no emotion. "She isn't strong."

"This isn't even_ half_ my power!_"_

Sakura pushed herself to her feet and glared at her enemy. The man smirked in response, then flew forward, fist charged with chakra and aimed for her gut.

Sasuke tensed to leap forward, but Kakashi's hand suddenly slapped onto his arm.

"Don't interfere," the leader murmured into Sasuke's ear. "She'll never forgive you if you do."

_SMACK!_

Sasuke looked down to see Sakura's hand enclosed around the man'sarm, her fingers tight. Her jade-like eyes were narrowed, and Sasuke noticed the black eye sprouting around the right one. The left side of her mouth was curled upwards in a sneer.

"Sakura isn't the kind of person to do things like needlessly flaunt her own power," Kakashi murmured to Sasuke, quietly. "But she also doesn't like having people take pity on her and hold back their power."

Sasuke looked down to see Sakura lift her chakra-charged fist.

_Needlessly flaunt her own power? _he thought to himself. _What does that mean? _

Naruto closed one eye, almost like a wince, and then Sakura's fist slammed into the middle of the guy's face. A huge crack echoed in the clearing, and the enemy flew backwards, into a tree.

"Sakura's defiant heart, and combative attitude towards her enemies are only part of her strength," Kakashi explained, calmly watching Sakura _pulverize_ the enemy.

Sasuke watched as well.

"Show your power now!" Sakura roared, picking up her enemy and hurling him across the clearing. She fell back into a fighting stance, fists raised.

The enemy suddenly vanished, and Sasuke realized he must have jumped up, dodged to the left or right, or—

"Hmph," Sakura snorted. "You think hiding underground will help you _now!?_"

She slammed her fist into the ground, and the whole clearing shuddered and exploded.

"Sakura's fighting spirit is stronger than most," Kakashi continued, as the man tried to flee. But Sakura wouldn't let him get away. "She can overcome obstacles that otherwise would be beyond most's abilities."

Kakashi paused, and they watched as Sakura punched the man across the face one last time. He crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

"You see, she possess a different kind of strength than you or Naruto or I," Kakashi said, slowly. "She'll always be strong in her own sort of way."

The pink-haired Chuunin then collapsed, hissing as she clutched her bloody mass of a knee.

Naruto and Kakashi instantly flew to her, but Sasuke stayed back an watched.

Sakura waved her leader and friend away, then laid a hand on her knee. Sasuke watched as she healed it completely, watched as the muscle pulled itself back together, and the skin pulled over it.

"It should be all right in about an hour," she told her worried teammates. "I should be able to walk fine."

Kakashi and Naruto offered their hands out to her and—

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's offered hand waited, patiently, in front of Sakura's face. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged looks, then turned, and walked away.

"He reminded me of you," Sakura murmured, her jade eyes on the fallen enemy. She had still not taken his hand.

"Hn."

_I am not _that_ cocky._

"You're strong," Sasuke said, his voice awkward and husky after a few moments.

_Damn it,_ he cursed to himself. _I'm a Jounin, entering ANBU in three weeks. I am _not_ going through puberty!_

Sakura turned to look at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"Stronger in a different way than me, but...you are stronger...in your own way."

_So, can you understand that this is hard for me?_ Sasuke pleaded, silently, with his pink-haired teammate. _Can you understand that I saved you all those times because I didn't want you to get hurt? Not because you weren't strong enough...but because I can't stand seeing you hurt..._

"Thank you," Sakura said, and took his hand.

"Hn."

_You're welcome._

_

* * *

_

**So, um, yeah.**

**Kind of awkward ending, but I think it turned out all right.**

**::Honatetsu Kiyasha::**


End file.
